


Casserole worthy

by SnowflakeAuthor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Highschool AU, Hopefully this doesn't suck, Insecure! Lance, Lance is an idiot, Lance wants to be an artist or an astronaut, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pidge is a savage, Shiro and Keith are bros, hunk is pure, keith is bad at feelings, so is keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-17 08:39:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14185131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowflakeAuthor/pseuds/SnowflakeAuthor
Summary: "No Hunk, it's not casserole worthy. I was stupid for thinking I could get or published" His tone was saddened, forgetting that Keith was there as more tears fell from his eyes. "I didn't even get mentioned on the page. I wasn't even worth a mention with my piece" He brought his hands to face, his shoulders bobbing with his hiccups when his body fell into Hunk's embrace, crying softly into his shoulder.An high school AU where Lance's distaste for Keith goes through the roof when Keith gets his art piece published in the school's newspaper despite 'not trying' when Lance had put many hours into his own piece. The two eventually get paired together (who'd have guessed) and the two find that they're not all that different to each other.





	1. Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to Casserole Worthy (Weird name, I know), I hope you enjoy what you read, and hopefully the characters aren't too out of character. It's been awhile since I've properly published any proper form of fiction that isn't one shots so I might be a little rusty. Feel free to correct me on any mistakes if there are any, I have spell checked this but that bad boy always manages to miss something. 
> 
> Once again, Happy reading!

First of all, Let's make this clear to everyone in the world- Lance McClain wasn't an asshole, though he seemed like one at times and this was one of them.

It wasn't actually his fault, more rather, it was the mullet that captured his attention. Why did he capture his attention? Because the poor bystander who rocked the mullet was sat in the infamous Lancey-Lance seat in the middle seat on the third row Lance and that seat went way back, all the beginning of claiming the subject many months back.

With one glance at the Cuban boy, you wouldn't have expected for him to take up life drawing as one of his classes without any crude intentions, the idea just seemed almost impossible. Of course, it hadn't been his first choice- that had been Spanish because he thought he could turn up and pretend he didn't understand a lick of the language despite his Cuban heritage (although there is a difference between Cuban and Spanish, there was never a problems considering his father was Spanish) but he was discovered within a week after being heard from a follow student about an argument between him and Hunk where Lance spoke in perfect Spanish and Hunk trying (and failing) in the same language. As his cover was blown, he had discovered that Hunk had taken the class as one of his subjects, and being best buddies who also so happened to be his brother from another mother, he took a dive into the world of arts and that started the course of many sketchbooks hauled under his bed in a box he spent a couple of dollars on. Life drawing was one of the three subjects he had chosen, the others being Astrology and Music. Music was a subject that interested him because of the ability to turn his emotions into music sheets and strum his thoughts to the world, the mood obvious but the reason subtle. He loved to entertain and his trusty guitar brought him just that, his pick lulling viewers near and far to marvel at the fingers that strummed just for them. For someone who embraced beauty, it would've been a waste to let the opportunity of entertaining for the world slip through his fingers, much like the stars he longed to hang up upon his room and watch them twinkle in the twilight of his room.

That is why he couldn't believe what he was seeing, hence why he needed to stop it.

"Hey! That's my seat, buddy!" The perpetrator flinched at his sudden tone, looking around the hall to find the brunette male with his face almost as red as the jacket he wore causally. There was only three people in the room, not even the instructor had arrived so it was obvious who he was shouting at, or rather, scolding with a pointed finger and distressed gaze. Hunk was free from the suspect list, standing behind his best friend as the two somehow fell into the 'good cop, bad cop' scenario, which roe the two partners played were obvious. Lance was clearly the bad cop, and lived to the name because he was certainly doing a _bad_ job of being intimidating to the ebony hired teen who just wanted to prepare for the three hour session. Hunk wore an apologetic gaze on his face, his posture moving into a somewhat lazy shrug to show that even he was one hundred percent sure why Lance was making a fuss, nor why he couldn't be civil. He did have a mild idea, which he had gathered from the many rambles Lance had when they were trying to sleep about some kid who always found a way to one-up the Spanish boy, but he never had a name for the alleged asshole so he was just as stumped.

"Uh, I don't see your name on it" The words that left his lips only further infuriated the boy, and he would be grinding his teeth if he didn't want them to grow imperfect. "Just pick another seat, it's just a chair-"

"I'll have you know that me and blue go waaaay back!" Lance argued, hands flying into the air before driving down to his side as he took quick strides towards the seat he yearned for. It almost seemed silly that he argued for a chair, and gave it a name already, but the chair was where he had his first break through. He learnt the proper approach for drawing the model, how to plan out what he was doing, it all clicked in that chair and started his artistic touch before he could've got kicked out for failing to grasp the class. He's had to sit in other seats but those were only on exceptions where he was late to class and was forced to take what seat was spare, and he never drew as well as he does in that seat. It was almost as if the chair was there, rubbing his shoulders as it feed thoughts through his brain on what material would be best and whether he was approaching the figure correctly. Not to mention, the space was where the blue chairs where, hence the name, and had the best view for the sessions; it wasn't too far to see the model but it wasn't too close either so the model was less likely to meet his eye. He had heard stories from Coran from when he was a student at the academy that he and the model met eyes and they wouldn't look away. Lance shivered just imagining it.

"I don't understand why you're so uptight about some chair. But I'll be the bigger man and just move" With that, the male grabbed his red sketchbook and placed it under his arm before taking his leave, retiring to another seat on the same row. But Lance wasn't done. Having a family that consisted of many competitions during holidays to keep things lively, it became second nature to the young man to take on any challenge that come his way. The mullet was just asking for it with his comment, didn't he know better than to mess with Lance McClain?

"Oh 'The bigger man', huh? I'll show you the bigger man!" Lance hollered after him, shaking a fist with annoyance displayed on his face. He was soon in the chair he fought for, his own sketchbook of navy blue slamming on the desk. It was open in an instant, opening to his most recent page as he began to shade upon the face of the latest model, who so happened to be from a photograph of his best buddy, Hunk.

Hunk and Lance met when they were toddlers. Lance has always been clingy to his family, and that was evident when he attended nursery, crying when his mamá left him for his first day. Hunk was the only one who could stop his crying, showing him his small model of a yellow metallic lion from a show he watched and offered to let him play with his blue one (which he ended up giving to him for his birthday). Lance was automatically drawn to the boy, sucking off on the sunshine and smiles the boy presented and still was to present day. Sadly, the two only showed two classes (although he wished they shares more) and those were Life drawing and astrology. Hunk had originally taken catering over astrology but hearing Lance's constant excitement and interest over the class, he found that he too had deep interest in the subject, especially after the two had been watching the latest episode of Voltron and Lance had paused the episode to explain what he knew about had happened in space terms. For the subject they didn't share, Hunk took mechanics because of his love for building electronics, which so happened to be the same lesson where they met their third member of their trio, Katie Holt, who is widely known as Pidge.

Pidge was younger than them but because of her high IQ and her father's role in the academy, she was able to skip a few years ahead. The whole thing seemed rather bothersome at first but she settled in comfortably well. She got along well with Hunk because of their love for machines, something Lance wished he could get into but no matter all the times he tried, his fingers were made for strumming, not fixing and creating. Pidge also shared their love for Voltron and owned up to having the green lion figure that fit in with Lance and Hunk's collection. She had originally taken mathematics but she dropped the subject to take astrology like the others. Lance often felt sorry for the little gremlin, she had rather work loaded subjects but every time she pokes and prods at everything with her savagery, that guilt slowly melted away.

"You could have asked him nicer or just told him why you like the seat so much" Hunk said in that voice that Lance hated, mostly because it showed that Lance was being a dick again. A sigh left his lips as his chin went to rest on his chin, pencil moving to adding some shading to the yellow band that rested above his friend's forehead. "I'm sure he would have appreciated it"

"No way, he should have known that this is my spot. I always sit here!" His words were loud, not too loud to be heard by who they were talking about but enough to make Hunk wince at the loudness in his ear. Lance apologised immediately before sulking mildly, a pout on his lips as he focused on his sketch. "He'd make fun of me. Pidge already does and I don't need him joining in" His words were more a grumble now, eyes darting to look at the mysterious teen before falling back on his work. It wasn't going anywhere, he had to be in the mood to feel the rays that radiated from Hunk's figure, and the mood he was in wasn't giving in.

"I'm sure he's not that bad. He seems alright in Astrology-"

"He's more than alright in astrology, he's better than me. I didn't make it in the top ten leader board because of him. He always one ups me, and I won't this time!" A small smile spread across his cheeks at the thought of winning his chair. "I'm going to get my art punished in the school newspaper, I'm sure of it! That'll show him! It has to because it's close to home and that is just the touch this baby needs" Lance explained, suddenly sitting upright as he showed his work to Hunk, showing off the multiple versions of the photographs he took of the man himself and differing sketches to go without each. The amount of work that went towards it was incredible, there was no way he wouldn't be one of the two published. The details were immaculate, the amount time put into it was clear to see and it paid off. Taking life drawing was one of the best decisions, the form of his friend heavily inspired by the lessons and the small markings to show he had planned how he was going to fit it all on the page was still there. It brought a tear to Hunk's eye at the progress his friend had made over the course of a few months, all the times he woke up in the middle of the night to see Lance using the dim light of one of the bedside lamps drawing the night away only showing his dedication to the subject and his dream.

"Whoa! Good one Lance!" Hunk cheered, his finger pointing to the one sketch that fit the whole of a page, which just proved all the progress the Cuban student had made. "That's the best one yet! I say develop that one"

"If the model says so, then the artist must!" Lance sent him a playful wink, tear off a sticky note from the stack beside his eraser and wrote a quickly mute to his future self about developing the piece. His eyes sparkled as many more notes were added atop of the page with many colours decorating the page, his creative juices flowing with inspiration. He would've continued if their instructor hadn't arrived, her loud voice booming through the walls as she welcomed the class. The two had been so caught up that they hadn't noticed the other students, who now we're all seated in their seats.

"We'll plan more later" Hunk whispered to him, turning to face the instructor, watching as a model came out behind her, their bathrobe hugging their body whilst awaiting their time to shine. Lance only hummed in response, gripping his pencil a little tighter whilst preparing a page for the lesson.

* * *

 

He didn't make it.

Lance grabbed his hands on the newspaper he could, his two friends beside them as they watched him flick through them quickly, eyes sparkling until they reached the page. As soon as they did, the shine had left his eyes, much like a star that had lost its shine but its shine still lingered, only it was Hunk who tried to revive that light.

"Hey, you put hours into that piece and it was amazing! This calls for sole casserole!" Lance appreciated the encouragement, he really did but it made it hurt even more. Hunk had been his inspiration, he wanted to have Hunk see himself in the paper and Lance could show everyone just how wonderful his friend was. The man really was his star, his sun, his whole universe because he brightened his day and the whole word deserved to know but now it wouldn't reach the light of day.

"Yeah... Thanks buddy" He couldn't help the tears that gathered in his eyes, the shaky exhale between his words. His mamá was expecting to hear his excited voice as he declared his happiness, he was told her it was a winner and she thought so herself. He didn't want to disappoint her, but it was unavoidable. Marco had shouted over the phone that he better make them proud and that it was the McClain way to win the prize and woo the crowd. Luis told him to ignore him but just do his best, but do knock out all challenge and dare others to try and prove their worth. Veronica as always was sweet, telling him that she was rooting for him and couldn't wait to see him when he next stopped by. But he hadn't won as they believed and hearing their excited voices when he called them before delivering the news would break his heart.

Seeing Keith's name only added more salt into the wound- the art was beautiful, but it appeared that he'd never do anything without being overshadowed by him. Those who won would have a greater chance of getting their future dreams as artists for large companies, they search for such feats even they look at their CVS and his failure wouldn't suffice. With his dream being wanting to create his own Voltron, or something to give the children of the future an escape like he and his friends had, his dreams were crushed. You could argue that he was being over dramatic but he never reached the papers. Keith always did however, he never strayed from the spotlight and he hated it. Keith wasn't someone who enjoyed the attention, hell, Lance could remember how he hated theatre class in high school but he never seemed to stray from it here in the newspaper.

"Come on, we should head to class" Hunk said, knowing that Lance liked to be in his seat at least five minutes before class so he could get in the zone. He had trouble concentrating, and he could if need be in the heat in the moment, but he always sketched for five to ten minutes before class begins so he could work more efficiently.

Lance only nodded, not saying a word as he ditched the paper. He began to drag himself to Life drawing, thanking the heavens that this was his only class for the day. He hadn't the mind to last more than an hour and a half of the lesson. Flopping into his seat, Lance let his head fall into his arms, which had moved to fold over the desk for his head to rest upon. Had this been his room, eh would freely let his shoulders wreck with sobs but this wasn't so he had to but his lip as hard as he could, eye tightly shut as he tried his best to not let the floodgates loose. Hunk's hand on his back was soothing, almost too soothing became he felt a tear roll down his perfectly kept face, a muffled sniffle leaving his lips. If he could bring himself to look up, he would have seen the footsteps that passed his seat, a pair of grey hues landing on his open sketchbook and marvelling at his work.

"Did you paint this?" Keith Fucking Kogane. With a growl, Lance lifted his head slightly, enough for his words to no be muffled but not enough for his eyes to be seen. His own eyes grazed on the open sketch, almost losing his breath at the page he had instinctively opened. It was his piece that he had out forward. There in the spur of watercolour and acrylic, his best friend stood, beaming brighter than the sun that lit the sky above. Behind him was a watercolour wash of purple and blue, hints of black here and there to create the nebula of the universe, dots of white acrylic creating the stars that twinkle in comparison with the dark hues. His bright colours of yellow and brown complexion stood out greatly in the centre, with the photograph of a similar scene of Hunk looking toward the lens with a smile identical to the one of the drawing held to the page via a blue paperclip.

Lance couldn't help the tears now, freely falling as he sat up, not caring for the male, who stood before him. His hands were grasping the sketchbook, a droplet from his tears falling on the paper (thankfully not on the painting) whilst he sniffed, barely containing his sobs.

"Lance-"

"Y-Yeah. What of it?" Cursed his trembling lips, and curse Keith for making him look at his piece that wasn't good enough. His tear filled eyes met with Keith's, watching as surprise filled his eyes like the tears had with Lance's blue ones.

"Are you okay? Actually- that's a stupid question, of course you're not, you're crying" The brunette hurriedly tended to wiping his eyes, shrugging it off as he looked away, staring at anything but the sketchbook and the male who was questioning him.

"I'm fine. Just got dust in my eyes. I haven't used these pencils in awhile" He wasn't technically lying, it had been about a month since he touched the pencil set he had brought, having using the set his mamá brought him instead of the ones he spent money on. There were small particles of dust on them but he wasn't going to let Keith think it was other reasons that he had been weeping. "Or it could be just space dust from the picture"

"It's good" Was it really? All Lance could see was a failure, a masterpiece went wrong. The more he looked at it, the more he could see imperfections. The colour used for the skin was a few shades too dark that his real life counterpart, his smile too tight and not as soft. On the top right of the bubble, there were too many white sprinkles that made the piece turn ugly before his eyes, the watercolour not quite blending. It was a mess, no wonder it wasn't in the school's paper. It wasn't talented, it was a somewhat tidy mistake that he couldn't perfect, nor ever hope to because the time has already passed.  

"If it was, it would have reached the papers-"

"Lance-"

"No Hunk, it's not casserole worthy. I was stupid for thinking I could get or published" His tone was saddened, forgetting that Keith was there as more tears fell from his eyes. "I didn't even get mentioned on the page. I wasn't even worth a mention with my piece" He brought his hands to face, his shoulders bobbing with his hiccups when his body fell into Hunk's embrace, crying softly into his shoulder.

Keith just watched in surprise, unable to comprehend the sight of what he was seeing. Lance, the same Lance who shouted and demanded his seat was crying in his best friends arms a month later. Hunk sent him yet another apologetic glance, only this wasn't one that showed embarrassment, this one showed his concern for his friend before he shifted to talk to Lance, trying to understand the Spanish that left his lips. Of course, the two didn't truly understand what he was saying but Hunk knew bits and pieces of Spanish from the brunette so he only was able to pick out a few words, which was a whole lot better than Keith. If Lance hadn't been sobbing, he would have added it to his rack of wins against the mullet.

* * *

 

Lance was sent home, the note he flashed the receptionists stating it was from stress.

When he reached his dorm room, he crashed upon his bed with a heavy sigh, his puffy eyes staring at the glow in the dark stickers that were a dull colour until the darkness was set to fall. Returning to his room, he now saw how he shouldn't have been so beaten up about it, it was just some contest they hold every semester in the art department but it still broke his little heart at the fact he was so certain he would win. He had even showed his instructor and she adored it, telling him how life drawing has truly improved this drawing skills from when he first started.

Of course Keith had to make it to the page, he always did better than the poor Cuban boy but that didn't stop him from trying. The man was perfect; he had the looks, the talent and everything Lance didn't. The only thing Lance was better at was socialization but that could only get you so far. You can't sweet talk yourself into a job, maybe you can in some places of you're persuasive enough, but he knew he wasn't. He couldn't even get anyone to look twice in his direction, he was lucky enough that Hunk had but his flirtations with many of the students always resulted in failure.

His heart really took a blow when he had dated Nyma. Nyma was the embodiment of perfection, each step she took making hearts flutter all around her and Lance had been one of them. The two dated for a few months, and while they were some of the best months of his life, she suddenly dropped him. He felt like she had tied him to a tree and left him to rot. All things considered, she wasn't as cruel as she sounded. She had payed him back for her ‘bitchy’ way of ending things and the two were partners in music, opting to help with certain notes for the other if needed. Plus she and her brother, Rolo, owned an adorable puppy called Rover, and you bet he was given the thumbs up to dog sit if they ever needed him to.

Whilst the memories were fresh in his mind, Lance’s fingers idly plucked at the guitar strings, his feet dangling over the bed frame with his eyes staring at the ceiling with a heavy sigh. He hoped a song or two would ease his troubles but it pointless and all that came out of it were fingers that grew sore without the work of his pick. He stopped strumming, letting the guitar fall to his side and picking up his phone. Scrolling through his social media, Lance decided to check his Instagram in case he randomly blew up and gained thousands of followers. As expected, he still had the few hundred, which wasn't bad considering he wasn't some popular kid or anything. Some of the pictures he posted were many landscapes and flowers that he had taken from the seaside from back home cheesy captions that only his friends and family would find interest in. Most that sprouted his account were of his friends, some planned but most weren't. Of course there were many selfies in between them and a common victim that was in ninety percent of them was Hunk, who just seemed to brighten any photo despite the lighting been darker than he had preferred and the filter free display.

He would have continued browsing through with a soft smile if knocking on his door hadn't echoed through the empty walls of the shared dorm. Forcefully rising to his feet, a small groan left parted lips as the art student headed towards the door, socked feet padding on the wooden surface of the floorboards. He had expected to see Hunk or even Pidge but Keith stood there, awkwardly at the side as his fingers rubbed the bridge of his nose. The sight wasn't foreign, Keith was often seen holding the certain spot when stressed and muttering some comment to himself about some field? Or was it yield? Lance wasn't sure but all he knew was that this wasn't what Keith would do, the standing in front of his dorm.

“What do you want, mullet?” The insult had grown dry, he needed new material but he wasn't in the mood to brainstorm and Keith certainly wasn't in the mood to wait for him to create a new one off the bat. His gloved hand fell from his face, grey hues meeting with sapphire momentarily before his eyes darted elsewhere. “Here to make a mock of me? Guess you win this time, buddy-”

“It wasn't a challenge. I don't understand why you see it that way” Keith's words were sudden, arms folding over his chest as he moved to lean against the door frame, not caring for the fact that it wasn't his own. “It was just some stupid contest and my brother made me participate, I didn't even try to win. Why do you take this so dramatically?”

Remember what was discussed at the start? Well, Keith also had the ability to seem like an asshole, and this was one of those moments.

Lance couldn't help himself, prodding Keith's chest with a sharp joists of his finger, a scowl on his face as he looked at the visitor. Normally he wouldn't be pleased with the amount of wrinkles that appeared on his face from the expression, it did taint his beauty after all but right now, he was running on anger and the wrinkles (although there were hardly any) were his least of his concerns. “‘Some stupid contest?’ It was far from stupid! Why even enter if you're not even going to try-” Lance couldn't bring himself to speak any more, his voice dying suddenly. He looked at the other, his eyes burning with bitter tears and he wasn't going to let them fall this time. If that wasn't Keith trying, then what was? How could he even hope to win if that wasn't even Keith's full potential?

Lance liked to think that art was **his** thing. Hunk liked mechanics more than he liked drawing, Pidge liked technology and they excelled with what they were passionate about. Other than music, art had been what Lance was passionate about and the fact his skills were nothing like others, not even much different from Hunks stung like Keith had just slapped him in the face and tore about his sketchbook, only to shove his own in front of him and make him look through what talent really looked like.

Without thinking, Lance slammed the door. Keith, who had previously been leaning against the door frame, having moved from the prodding fingers but just stared at the door in awe at the sight of the tear filled hues that lost their competitive flame, Keith's words putting out the dancing fire in his eyes. The sight was disheartening, one the Texan boy had never expected to see on the brunette's face, after all, he loved for competitions. The two were at each other's throats, fighting for who's work would be shown as a perfect example in life drawing, who's essay was better in astrology and the grades that the school proudly flaunted. Keith always won but that never stopped Lance, so why now?

Shrugging his shoulders, Keith turned and took his leave, not sparing the door one glance as he left. Maybe Lance would return to normal tomorrow, he was probably just being dramatic as always and trying to use a new scheme to try and initiate a way to win.

 


	2. Why him of all people?

The call was one of the hardest things Lance ever had the misfortune of making. It had taken three dials before loud Spanish music filled once emptiness of the room from over the line, followed by the electric voice of his mother.

"Aquí viene, mi chico! Marco, turn down that music, Lance is on the phone!" The sound of her voice made his heart flutter with love, a soft smile breaking across his face. He could just see her now, the way her eyes sparkled and that smile on her face as she beamed to the rest of the family. There was hushed voices before the music came to an abrupt stop and the sound of shuffling on the other end showed that everyone had gathered for the news and hearing his sister repeatedly cry "Put it on loud speaker, mamá!"

"Hey mamá, everyone" He couldn't help but chuckle, hearing a chorus of welcomes that he never grew tired of, even if it meant he went deaf for a couple of seconds. Homesickness started to flow through him, hitting him rather suddenly and without warning, his eyebrows arching upwards to show he was saddened that he couldn't tell them in person. He kept pacing back and forth near the tree he and the gang would hang around every lunch time to eat their lunch, sharing their food like they were having a picnic. Lance was waiting for the two to finish their lesson since he had been given the day off because of his break down and seeming stressed.

"We haven't had fifteen hundred messages yet, mi hijo. We get that many when you win something" Lance stopped walking, the crunching grass beneath him stopping their wails and letting him take over as his teeth captured his bottom lip. He had rehearsed many times what he would say but he seemed to forget what speaking was, leaving his family in silence as they awaited his words. However, after several seconds, it became apparent what had happened and he heard a soft "Lance..." come from his sister, who must've sensed the exact point a tear slid down his face because as soon as the tear fell, her words met his ear.

"Lance, we know you tried very hard with it. You put so much effort into it and we're so proud of the progress you're making" His papá's voice was one he wasn't expecting, he wasn't the best at comfort but it was obvious his mamá had nudged him with her rolling pin to urge him to speak comfort. "We'll hold a celebration right here. Your mamá can bake up a storm for you and your friends and we'll have our own newspaper for it to be in" The words touched him, staring straight ahead of him as he listened, a smile reaching his eyes despite the tears that rolled down his cheeks, but those tears weren't of sadness anymore. He was grateful to his family, they always supported him when he was down, acting life a lifeboat that he could always count on. Without them, he wouldn’t be where he was and he wouldn’t be happy. Sure Hunk was perfect but he didn’t have the same magic his mother’s hugs did (although he was very close) or the memories of experiences he received whilst growing up such as drinking for the first time with his father.

"Papá'..."

"We're all so proud of you. You went out to the city, got yourself a job and you're working so hard. Make sure to make some time for yourself, Todo va a estar bien" Were they trying to make him cry!? All their sweet words were too much for him to handle, his cheeks starting to become sore from all the smiling he was doing but he couldn't help himself. He felt like he was the most important person in the world, their words boosting his morale and making his stomach flutter with butterflies at their comfort. It was the greatest thing he could ask for.

When Lance hung up, he found himself feeling much better. Chuckling, he blamed it on black magic his family had used to lift his mood and make him forget why he had even been so worked up over it in the first place. Whatever they did, he needed to know their secret so he could use it whenever Hunk was having a rough day and looked on the verge of tears or cheer up Pidge when she called him in the middle of the night with her worries for the future despite being so infatuated with it. Maybe he should ask them when he next saw them.

But until then, he deserved some well earned R&R.

* * *

 

Lance couldn't afford to miss another day, well, he could but he'd rather not.

Sitting in blue, his favourite chair, he flipped through the pages to find the latest free page and rested his supplies atop of it so that he wouldn't feel the temptation to draw on the page before the lesson started. In a small notepad near his sketchbook, his pen started to doodle whatever was on his mind, mostly small smiley faces and a few random sketches of a mechanical lion from Voltron. Still the best show ever, no one could change his mind. His hand was on autopilot, working over the small A5 pad, not caring for the small mistakes he made that he couldn't hide from the world.

"You feelings okay?" Hunk's sunshine voice rung in the air, almost muffled out but the music blaring through Lance's eardrums but it found a way to overpower the powerful guitar riff. Removing a bud from his ears, letting it drop to his shirt whilst his concentrated frown was erased and a smile of delight replaced it.

"Hey bud! And yeah, I feel better. Sorry for not waking you this morning" Normally the duty of alarm was Hunk's job, waking the sleeping beauty that was his room mate but Lance was up before it and already out of the room. He needed time away, and music was the only way to fix it so he had snuck out with his guitar case and fled under the tree their squad would hang around. The jam session cleared his mind, letting the beauty of the notes his fingers made flow and rub his shoulders to soothe his sorrows and soreness over the contest. The call with his family the day before helped too, leaving him feeling sorry for crying over such a small thing.

"It's alright, Shay needed some help in mechanics anyway so I had to help her a bit" A hand went to the back of his head momentarily as he spoke, eyes darting away as a small hint of a blush coated his dark cheeks. His crush on the female was obvious, to everyone but the one herself. It was the most annoying thing to watch, especially how they danced over the idea of a relationship. The two we're so perfect for each other that it pained Lance as the hopeless romantic to watch the two.

"She might need a hand with confessing as well" Lance uttered, hand on his cheek, wiggling his eyebrows all the while. The guy was his best friend, he had to play the wing man and if that meant dropping comments that were hardly hints, then so be it. Not to mention the reactions were amusing.

And amusing they were; Hunk's hand fell from where it had rested, twiddling his thumbs with eyes that refused to meet his eye. "I- I don't know what you're talking about" His words were forced out, face reddening deeper shades before sending the Cuban boy a pout, one much like the one he himself would send his way. Ah, he was learning. And fast.

"I'll believe that the day Pidge stops being a nerd" Lance's eyes strayed to the instructor, who had only just entered the room, a wide smile on his lips as he clasped his hands together. The instructor was one they didn't have often but he was known as the 'Space Dad' for his obsession for space and his various space projects. The "Dad' part came from the fact he does the look every father does when their child does something wrong, not to mention on countless school trips he went into 'dad mode' by keeping everyone on a that leash near the roads despite being young adults.

"Hello everyone! I hope your day has started on a good note and hopefully it will when I tell you what the art department have discussed" The voice of instructor Shirogane (who demanded to be called Shiro) boomed around the class, sounding much louder than he had intended but the echo of the room made him sound like some kind of leader and they were his cadets. "We have decided that because we haven't done once in a while, we will introduce a project-" He was cut off but a chorus of cheers, many fists thrown up into the air in excitement, Lance included. Projects were adored, it meant that they could do whatever they pleased without any restrictions. It was exactly what Lance needed to get his thoughts out, to let his pencil do the talking rather than his mouth. It had been months since their last project and although there were competitions every so often, they didn't contribute to their grade at all do everyone was ready to get on board.

"However, this project is different. Because we want the work to be some kind of mural painting to go with all the painting we've done this month, you will be working in partners" Lance's eyes fell to Hunk, the same smile on their faces. "But we will be determining them based on your own skills and theirs" What cheers had been roaring previously were gone, the room dead silent. Lance's smile dropped, Hunk's doing the same as their eyes tore apart. It would take a miracle to be put together under that rule. The two were similar in skills because they had taught each other whatever they knew to help them. Now it was Lance's turn to pout that day, chin falling in his palms with eyes narrowing at the sight of the teacher. How dare he come and ruin their plans? His hero or not, that shit wasn't cool.

He just tuned him out, only listening for his name and Hunks. It took a few minutes before one of their names were called.

"Hunk. You are paired with Lotor" A groan left Lance's lips, eyes flickering to the front row where the male sat, a cup of coffee in his hand and surrounded by female counterparts, who he always hung around. The male turned around, his long hair flowing behind him with the movement of his head to search for the said partner. Noticing, Hunk rose his head slightly, a welcoming smile on his face, which was returned but of course not as bright.

"His chin could slit my throat any day" The word's left the tall boy's lips before he could even stop them but the muffled giggles of his friend next to him was enough for him to lose whatever embarrassment he had. It was no surprise Hunk had been paired with him, he always got the hot guys and Lance was always stuck with some weird kid who were either creepy or didn't pull their weight. Lance braced himself, sighing as he looked through lidded eyes at the teacher. Anyone was better than Keith-

"Lance, you will be partnered with Keith" Lance's face grew sour, his eyes suddenly snapping open at the thought of his partner. Shiro raised his paper, a shit eating grin hidden behind it as he saw his younger brother rise to his feet, hands slamming on his desk with rage.

"Excuse me? Why am I partnered with him of all people!?" Keith's voice roared, making multiple students around him flinch at the suddenness of his voice, Lance included. He wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the pairing but it offended him at the venom in his voice. He too got to his feet, ignoring Hunk's hand that grasped the hem of his shirt, tugging gently with worried eyes that begged him to not make things worse.

"I thought you were an adult, mullet! Friggin' act like one!" It wasn't his usual choice of words but it was what Hunk would prefer him to say and with Hunk's eyes doing the _thing_ , he wouldn't dare to make matters worse. The glare that was sent his way was enough for his stern frown to tilt upwards into a grin, clearly smug as Shiro nodded in agreement with the mature words that left his mouth (ignoring the insult anyway). Lance dropped into his seat, looking to Hunk for confrontation of what he had done. Hunk let out a small sigh but didn't argue, a small smile of consideration on his face for what Lance had decided to say.

"Lance is right. If you have a problem with the pairing, we can talk after class and I'll tell you why you were paired" Lance certainly was going to do just that. He wasn't going to put up with the male, he clearly wasn't in his league anyway so there was no point the two of them being partners. Maybe they paired him with Keith because of his lack of artistic talent with the belief that Keith could teach him a thing or two. Well he wouldn't deal with their stupid ideas, he would show them how a McClain does it whether they like or not.

With everyone seated with their partners, Lance and Keith were stood in front of Shiro. Keith's face was bright red in anger, eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at the instructor with blood lust. Lance knew he'd be mad but he didn't expect him to be so mad at the fact they were partnered, it seemed like he was some kind of monster that Keith had the displeasure of breathing next to. The anger the male displayed made Lance feel small, trying to hide his surprise behind an annoyed scowl in attempts to match the same level of anger but it as obvious that he wasn't near enough as angry as him. 

"At least put me with someone who I can actually work with-"

"Yeah, Toddlers don't attend here. Shiro, I won't let this guy bring down my grade because he can't produce decent art" Keith's words were like a knife, slashing at his confidence with multiple slashes and wouldn't cease his attacks even when he was down on the ground bleeding out. Hadn't he just said his work was good he day before? Or was he just saying it so the pain would be more enjoyable for him? If so, it was working. Whatever his intentions, Lance couldn't bring himself to speak for a few minutes after hearing that, turning to the male with a saddened expression on his face before quickly hiding it behind a false glare, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug grin and forced himself to speak.

"Oh, you sure you're not scared of the fact you'll mess it up? All my pieces have been using paint, I think I know what I'm doing. But do you?"

"Says the one who couldn't even get their work published-"

"Keith!" Shiro cut in, his prosthetic arm moving to rest on Keith's shoulder, his eyes showing his disappointment for a few seconds until a sniff captured their attention. Two pairs of eyes shifted to look at the Cuban boy, whose face was looking away from them but his arms stayed crossed over his chest as if it was his only defence against the bitter words that Keith flew about without any regard of how it would affect him. It was obvious that the sniffles had come from him, his fragile structure showing how hurt he felt with the words that left his lips. Glistening orbs that stared holes into the floor refused to look at them, a sleeve rising to wipe his nose before falling back in place. In a small and shaky voice, Lance began to speak. "Can we please change partners?"

"Lance... I would but I'm afraid that the other instructors have already made note of the partners and have emailed to the examiners. I'm sorry" A sharp breath was inhaled by the student, nails digging into his shirt with glassy eyes locking with his teacher's, a singular tear threatening to escape his sapphire eyes. "If you two just push aside this rivalry you two have formed, you could truly create a beautiful piece. Lance, your painting skills are out of this world, you are good with a brush but you need to get better at your drawing skills so they can be at the same level. Keith, you're drawing skills are breathtaking but you can't paint to save your life. You two are the perfect solutions to the qualities the other needs to learn, that's why we paired you. Even if you don't like each other, surly you can put your differences aside just for the project"

Lance listened with deep interest, taking Shiro's words into consideration. He wouldn't know what else to do if he didn't improve like the other students around them. With a sigh, Lance wiped his eyes, looking at anything but the student beside him as he let defeat consume his form. "I understand..." His words trailed off, not sparing Keith a glance as he turned and stormed off to his seat beside Hunk, trying his hardest not to let the feeling of eyes on the back of his head distract him. He was soon in his seat, letting out a groan with his head falling into his hands.

"You'll be fine, Lance. He's rather difficult to work with but you get good results" The voice of Hunk's partner reached his ears, making Lance's face come out of hiding and meet his eyes. A smile spread across his face, rubbing his eyes to rid of any tears that wet his eyes. Lotor was right; they would have their difficulties but if Shiro was right about their abilities, then they should produce a masterpiece (though he'd never admit it aloud) that would make the examiners gawk at their work and fall in love. Keith had to know what it took to win and get out there, seeing as he was the good artist out of the two of them so maybe they could actually do this, if his Pride would let Keith take the reins.

"I just- Why him though out of everyone in the class? Hell, Pidge hasn't held a paintbrush in her life and even that would be easier to work with!" He cried, throwing his arms up and almost hitting Hunk in the face, who had leaned back to avoid being socked in the jaw. Releasing an over exaggerated huff, his arms feel like they were too heavy to be held, sinking down in his chair as he did so, shirt riding up to reveal his slim stomach. His hands grasped his sketchbook, tapping his chin with a pencil with eyes that held the sheet of paper in a staring contest. "Sorry bud" Lance mumbled in response to realising what had almost happened, rising a hand to rub Hunk's cheek as though he had hurt him. His best friend only chuckled, muttering in a fake dreamy voice "My hero" before turning to Lotor so the two of them could see what the other was good at.

"Why did you have to choose to sit here?" God damn it Keith, he had just started to feel better. Adjusting himself in his chair, Lance turned to him with the darkest expression he could muster, letting several tears gather up for good measure. His planned worked- Keith had fallen for the bait. The way his face flashed with guilt for a few seconds was enough evidence but it was replaced with a blank stare so quickly that it could almost be assumed that Lance was seeing things. Almost.

"Because I need to get a real artist's opinion considering I'm not good enough to be one apparently" Hunk's gasp was loud, almost deafening the pain that tugged his chest with the words he had said. There had to be some truth to it, why else would Keith bring it up? He was winning contests left, right and centre so he had to know talent when he saw it. Oh right, he had forgotten to tell them that Keith said that but they seemed to catch on quickly. The lack of sunshine on Hunk's face was terrifying despite not glaring or anything of the sort.

"That's low, Keith" It was Lotor who spoke this time, deep blue eyes piercing the form of the artist that slandered the Cuban boy. "Making someone cry like that, you ought to be nicer if you want to pass the project"

"This doesn't concern you-"

"I quite frankly believe it does. Me and Hunk are partners, everybody knows that Lance and Hunk share a dorm room so it shouldn't be surprising that me and Lance will be growing closer. We don't need you making his life a living hell for him because of your ridiculous attitude" Lotor's words were sharp, almost as sharp as his chin and Keith was left brutally defenceless against them. "Now I suggest that you, and you Lance, get along. it would be a shame to see a dear friend of mine fail because of some misunderstandings in the past"

As much as Lance hated to admit it, Lotor was right. If they truly wanted to pass the subject, they couldn't afford failing this. It would be too risky and Lance knew that but Keith's comments hurt. They really knocked his confidence and Hunk could clearly see this otherwise he wouldn't have passed him a small note using paper from his notebook to tell him how great he was. Lance was a McClain and they never gave up a challenge but maybe he just need to change his focus. Working with Keith was a challenge itself but maybe that would make the whole time all the more rewarding when he saw the grade and cry happily at the fact he whipped Keith into shape.

A sigh beside him made him jump, spinning round to see Keith had settled into the red chair beside him, his hands resting on the sketchbook he always carried around and cheeks that almost matched the colour of his chair. "Alright. Any ideas then?"

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the chapter was enjoyable. I'm just procrastinating for mock exams I should be studying for but pffft, it's not important.  
> So the two soon to be love birds have been paired together! I know I made Keith a bit of a dick in this chapter but Keith is a bit tough on Lance in the show at times but next chapter, he won't be as bad. There will a bonding moment of sorts in here soon enough and Keefs soft side will be visible to the world! (but mostly Lance)   
> Hope they aren't all too out of character, I hope to improve them more as I continue writing. Please do mention of there are any mistakes and I will correct them!
> 
> I also don't know any Spanish but I have been using Span¡shD!ct to find phrases and words so hopefully this will be alright! Don't hesitate to correct me if need be!  
> http://www.spanishdict.com/


	3. I was a bit of an ass, wasn't I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay of this chapter. I had expected to post it earlier but I had exams and I had to spend soke extra time hitting the books. However, i am exam free until June so hopefully i won't take as long to post. I know 6 days isn't a super long time but I still feel a little guilty. 
> 
> Thank you so much for the sweet comments, they really inspire me to continue! it's nice to read them, it just makes me smile and makes my day!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, I'll post the next as soon as I can.

"This isn't working" 

Lance's hands were locked in his hair, tugging strands of brown without a care for his beauty with tired eyes that looked over to the other student. The two had decided to stay behind to work on making ideas with their project, not feeling comfortable with the idea of going round each other's dorm room so it was their best option. It wasn't meant to be so stressful but the two had completely ideas of what the project should be on, many crumpled balls that contained their sketches and mind maps scattered all over the table.

"Shiro is a goddamn idiot" 

Lance could hear the gentle strums of the guitar resonating from the earphones that idly set on his shirt, his own fingers twitching with the thirst to play something with the guitar hat rested in its case beside his chair. A sigh left his form, hands moving to his cheeks and slapping them to wake himself up. "We need a different approach. What inspires you?"

"Inspires me?" Keith's eyes finally met his, locking him in a gaze that shouldn't feel so breathless but Lance seemed to find it so. Confused, Lance looked away and removed the earbuds from their resting spot on his chest, believing that the music was suffocating him. Keith's gaze only lingered, never falling from his partner's form as he patiently waited. He wasn't a patient person in general but for the sake of his grade, and his pride that Lance found himself damaging, he was willing to adjust and make an effort of making this partnership work out. 

"What gives you ideas?" Lance started, hand moving to the newspaper that the teacher had flaunted earlier during the lesson and congratulated the winners. His finger tapped on the piece that was Keith's, the flares of red and orange contrasting with his toned complexion. "To produce things like this, what goes on in your head? How do you turn this" He gestured to the paper balls around them. "to this" And with that, their gaze fell upon the article once more. Lance had never wanted to look at the page again but he had no choice now, and he was mostly over it, he just still needed to heal from the bitter words his partner had said an hour or so before. It was amusing to see Lotor shut him down, and the way he reacted to Lance's hurt antics earlier but he still wanted an apology and he'd be damned if he asked for it aloud. Normally such a thing would be unwanted - an offence even - but this time, it was all he wanted from the mullet haired idiot was the stupid apology.

"It just happens" Keith mumbled, arms crossing as he tore his gaze away from the piece of paper. "I just draw something and it happens" He added, hoping to add more to answer to please the Cuban boy but it was obvious that it didn't. He watched as Lance brought a hand to his eyes, rubbing them with a small mutter that was silent to the raven before leaning back into his chair, rocking on the two back legs with his sapphire eyes boring into the other.

"Okay then, what are you thinking right now?"

"That I want to punch my partner in the face" A chuckle sounded from the other.

"That makes two of us" Lance rocked forward, the back legs kissing the floor after their lack of contact with Lance's own legs rising his body up so he was standing. His hands swept for the guitar, unzipping it free from it's cage before letting the instrument rest on his thighs. "But I'm also thinking about music. Music is what gives me ideas"

"I don't need to listen to your pitiful attempt of music" Keith wouldn't admit it but he had heard him play and it was far from pitiful. It was hard not know about his abilities in the art of music when he always played it at Lunch times whilst sat with his friends, always humming a tune to replace the lyrics he didn't feel comfortable enough to fill the world with. He enjoyed his little sessions, always blanking out the fact the musician as the most annoying person on campus (besides Slav who really took the cherry on top of a cake for that one) and let his mind wonder as the pen worked between his fingers, sketching what the music told him to sketch and create what the humming lulled him to produce. Maybe music was also his inspiration, but he wouldn't admit it to the male, not wanting to see that smug smile when he admitted it was his music that allowed him to create the piece that he envied.

"Suit yourself. Put some earbuds in or something because I need inspiration" Keith scoffed, turning himself to focus on the new piece of paper, gripping his pencil with a deathly grip that was too frightened to make a mark on the sheet. The fear his fingers felt washed away, swept under the rug and began to dance in time with the gentle melody from the guitar where similar movements were made with tan fingers. The small breaks between the caress of guitar strings let the raven's own hand adjust it's position to recreate the image of something in his head. The sharp notes were almost in sync with the sudden lines that Keith was making on his own piece. 

Lance peered over to see Keith working, looking at the distinct figures of trees that rested on what would soon become grass. Flowing from the pencil was a work in progress of a river bank and Lance couldn't help but smile. He either knew the name of the piece or he was just using the naturally twisting and twining of the notes to envision a river bank, the pace working as the water of the river changes from what course it was in. "I see you may have lied" Lance only spoke when his finger rubbed against the string to form the last, everlasting note that faded into silence as soon as Keith's eyes met with his once more.

"Uh, Yeah. It seems so" Letting the pencil rest on the desk, he moved back to marvel at the piece he had created, looking at the delicate yet sharp shapes that scattered the paper with the image of a small meadow with a river flowing through. "River flows in you, right?" Lance nodded. "My mother used to play it. It was her favourite piece" Upon realising he had involuntarily opened up to Lance, he looked away with a tight frown on his face and crossed his arms angrily.

Had Lance been the asshole he declared himself of not being, he would have poked fun at him for being tender despite being a douche to him and for his reaction to doing so. Hell, maybe he still could have but this was a topic about family and that was a topic he would never judge people on. He had his fair share of being known as the 'Mothers' boy' and been picked on for it yet he never cared, family were something no one should feel embarrassed for in his eyes. If you were lucky enough to have a good family, he followed his morals of cherishing them and letting them know everyday that he loved them as much as he had the day before, maybe even more.

Keith was known for his previous name of 'Orphan boy' with little known about him accept the fact his father couldn't handle parenthood without his wife, who had disappeared, and left him on the doorstep of Shiro's home. Everyone knew they were adoptive brothers and they were two of the most loved people in the academy, earning many lovestruck glances and love notes every Valentines day. So with little known about him and his tough, brick walls that surrounded him, it was odd to see him express something about himself. Keith knew this, which was why he was surprised when Lance's words weren't smug and condescending.

"She's got good tastes. Hopefully you do too" His hues of grey were soon on the musician, sucking up the sight of him like he was a painting. The soft smile on Lance's face as he returned to idly strumming was one that Keith began to long for the same smile to be sent his way rather than the glare sent his way. It was a rather bizarre thought but seeing Lance in this natural mood, all relaxed as the world danced just for him, it was something Keith felt a longing for. Maybe he was being too forward but anyone would feel that way if they saw this side in contrast to bitter words and prodding.

"Urgh... We still haven't gotten anywhere" Lance's voice was loud, throwing back his head with a groan and stopping his movements on the guitar. A pout spread across his lips, a hand flying to his face to rub his temple. Hunk and Lotor already had an idea and hearing how excited Hunk was made Lance wish he could feel that excitement but all he felt was annoyance with his fingers grasping for a new idea but it always ended up slipping through his fingertips. "Brainstorming is so much harder with two people"

As much as he hated to admit it, he too was stumped. Feeling such a way was foreign to Keith because of how he always had something on his mind and went through sketchbooks quickly. Working with Lance seemed to prove this incorrect, not one of the simplest ideas reaching his brain were actually plausible. It annoyed him to the point of no return, arms crossing as he thought about the argument he'd find himself in when he returned home and saw his brother. He couldn't believe that they were paired and he was sure that Shiro had a part of it.

Shiro had noticed how Lance gawked at the work he instructed to the class, gripping onto every word like it was the most important piece of information on the earth and even of it wasn't anything near of the sort, he definitely treated it like so. He took art seriously whereas Keith didn't and he was sure that this was all part of Shiro's plan of getting Keith more involved.

"Maybe it's because one of us is holding the other back" This caught Keith's ear, looking to the male out of the side of his eye. "Out if the two of us, you're the better artist and-" Keith suddenly rose from his seat, a gloved hand moving to grasp Lance's collar with a glare on his face. He didn't miss the way Lance let out a sound of surprise at the sudden grip on his clothes with eyes that locked their gaze upon his heated face, taking in the anger that was present that was in the ebony's stare.

"Stop bringing attention to yourself. If you were as shit as you keep claiming you are, you would have been dropped from the lesson but you've not, you're still here" Although they were supposed to be encouraging, his tone wasn't and Lance's eyes widened when the words reached his eardrums. "Shiro says you have talent, Hunk says you have talent, and I did before I was an ass. Quit beating yourself up over the competition" Keith still continued, his hands loosening their grip. His hands went to his sides, looking down at the seated Cuban boy, who was unruffling his shirt of any creases.

"I know I was a-"

A cheerful beat filled the room, echoing through the walls and making the two boys jump out of their skin. Tan hands dug deep into a pair of navy jeans, retrieving the cellphone that sang happily for them, a photo of him and Hunk on the caller ID as he read the name. He didn't think of apologising for being rude as his index finger swiped the green circle, answering the call and bringing the speaker to his ear. "Hello buddy! What's up?" Lance rose a finger when he saw Keith open his mouth, smugly smiling when Keith sighed in defeat and let his body slump up in his chair in the form of a sulk.

"Hey Lance! Lotor and I just grabbed a pizza so I was wondering if you wanted some? Pidge is here too so you have to be quick if you want a slice" A laugh followed afterwards and when his laughter died out, the sound Lotor complaining that Pidge had taken the slice he had his eye on filled the background. "There's enough for Keith if he wants some. It might help you two bond!"

Lance opened his mouth to argue that Keith was not invited but the sound of a stomach rumbling silenced him, that and the red cheeks that occupied the noise. He didn't really fancy inviting Keith over but saying he had to leave because he wanted pizza after hearing that mighty roar of Keith's stomach would be a move an asshole would make and Lance wasn't an asshole.

"Alright. Make sure Pidge doesn't eat it all" After taking for a few more seconds, their conversation ended and Lance pocketed his phone before looking to the raven, gathering his things as he did so. "Come on, Hunk said for you to eat pizza with us"

* * *

 

Keith had expected it to be awkward but it was far from it. Of course he was as stiff as a plank of wood but he didn’t feel awkward per say. With a plate holding his slice of pizza, grey hues fell on Lance and Lotor, who were busy battling on Mario Kart; Lotor was shouting empty threats whilst Lance only looked like he was enjoying the thrill, looking complacent as he came in first. Had the Nintendo Switch been so expensive, Lance would’ve thrown his controller with a cheer but instead, he held it tightly as he threw his arms into the air, chanting “We are the champions!” from that one Queen song. 

Keith couldn’t help but smile, hand bringing the greasy treat to his mouth and taking a bite. The atmosphere was amazing, one that welcomed him with open arms and brought him into an embrace he never wanted to break away from. A selfish part of him wished that this wasn’t a one time thing but he knew that it was in vein considering how he and Lance resented one another. However, the conversation he had with Hunk about mechanics, falling upon the topic of his motorbike was one that he hadn’t expected, nor that someone so pure had a love for tearing things up and rebuilding them again. Pidge was interesting as well, her snarky comments humorous and her detailed descriptions on what he struggled to understand in astrology that day was what he could only describe as being a ‘lifesaver’. Lotor (although not part of the troublesome trio) was fun as well, though Keith found himself disagreeing with many ideas and an argument had erupted but it ended quickly and the two acted as if it never happened.

Lance… was well, Lance. He was cocky when playing Mario Kart, pulling off risky moves and flaunting them when he did it properly. What Keith hadn't expected was a side to Lance he never knew existed. He was gentle, helping Hunk when he burnt his finger on the burning hot pizza tray. He didn’t hesitate to nudge the tray away and help Hunk rinse his hand by the sink before dampening a cloth for him to help further soothe it. When Lotor was struggling to learn the controls of the game they were playing after asking him over and over again what the accelerate button was and how to play, Lance always paused it and positioned him whilst explaining that everything did with a smile on his face, no matter the amount of times he had to do so. He brought Pidge a coffee when he and Keith were walking to the dorm, just knowing that she would want one. He even made sure he had enough of pizza before handing him the plate, leaving himself with only a slice. 

Keith never noticed it earlier but Lance always helped others, acting selfless but never asked for a penny in return. He was arrogant, cocky and annoying but he was also gentle, friendly and reliable. Keith certainly had been too blind to see it.

“Hey Keith! Why are you sat all the way over there? Come here!” Hunk’s cheerful cry made him jump, peering over to the bundle of sunshine, a plate of cookies in his hand. Lance was already nibbling one, pure bliss on his face at the perfect combination of cookie batter and chocolate chips. Keith only shrugged before rising to his feet, joining the others as he flopped onto the sofa besides Lotor. Lotor sent him a small smile before turning his attention back to the television where he and Pidge were competing.

This was something he could get used to, but he knew he had to do something before that could become a reality. To find himself falling into a schedule with these idiots, he had to step out of his prideful bubble, exposed and opening up to the artist he had treated like dirt hours ago.

Apologising was something he hardly found himself doing, opting to ignore it or simply never got into the situation. This situation threw those choice out of the window. If he wanted to befriend others and get a food grade, he needed to make amends with Lance. It was obvious that Hunk wanted that with the way he kept looking at him expectedly but there was no way he'd just go and do it with everyone around. If he was to apologise, it would be when they weren't surrounded by others.

“So Keith, have you and Lance got any ideas for the project?” Keith’s peered over to the owner of the voice, digesting his question. Keith’s mind thought back to the music session they had and the piece he created using the notes as inspiration and nothing else. He felt his cheeks grow warm slightly at the memory, remembering how peaceful Lance looked and the fact he had opened up somewhat to Lance in merely a few hours when others had tried in years and failed. 

“Uh. We couldn’t think of anything at all” He admitted, hand lowering his phone so it wouldn't distract him from his conversation with the chef. “But we’ve still got a while until the instructors want to see a draft version of the project and a plan so we’re alright”

“You're right there bud. Though you probably shouldn't spend too long on brainstorming, it could be stressful and I don't want to see you two feel that way” Keith however didn’t look at Hunk, unable to meet his gaze under the sweet words that left the young adult. He dared a look, swallowing down his nerves when he consumed Hunk's soft gaze. It wasn't like the one he gave Lance, far from it, but I was bloody close to it. Hunk was being far too kind considering the harsh words Keith had said to his best friend. Maybe he saw the good in him? 

"Though you should apologise soon. I believe that is why you are in a stalemate of the mind" Lotor's voice sliced the once sweet atmosphere, peering over from his seat as he came 4th on the race, Pidge happily scoring herself first place. The smaller female was soon engaged in their conversation, adjusting her glasses as a smug expression foxed upon her face.

Keith already decided he didn't like that face.

"Ah, so this is 'mullet head', huh?" She looked him up and down before scoffing slightly, smirk still on her face. "How could someone like him male Lance cry like that?" Her words shocked him, his jaw dropping slightly. He knew he made the other upset, that much was certain but making him 'cry like that'? How much had his words affected him? 

"Pidge, too much info for the guy" Hunk wanted, a defeated grin on his face before peering over to where Lance sat with his headphones in, sitting at the 'dinner table' where he had excused himself so he could write an essay that was due in the morning. His eyes returned to the others, taking in their expressions and their words.

"I know Lance is sensitive but what you said must've hit him hard. You call out his terrible singing?" His singing wa far from terrible. "How about how stupid it is to have fifteen battles of face products alone? He gave me silent treatment for that one"

"Worse" Hunk mumbled, egging her into the right direction, giving up on defending Lance's pride. Fingers went to her chin, humming in thought before clicking her fingers and looking to her victim. 

"I get it. You're the guy who won the art contest. I bet you brought it up and mocked his artistic skills" Keith stayed silent but she already had her answer. "Low blow man. Low blow" Keith wanted to argue, hell, he wanted to shout and scream at them but it would be in vein because he knew they were right. Hitting Lance's confidence when he had already been knocked down was basically the definition of low blow. Despite not really knowing a thing about Lance, he had learned very quickly that the boy had a problem with confidence at times that he most likely believed no one had had noticed. Of course most of the time he was free from these worries, he had no problem wearing his own skin and although he had flirting that he needed to improve, he was mostly carefree but it was obvious he had bursts of insecurity from time to time if you struck the wrong nerve and Keith had done just that.

The conversation ended after that, the peaceful mood returning as the night was still young. That gave Keith enough time to formulate a plan of action.


	4. Gettng somewhere?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise how long it has been since I have posted and I apologise! I fell ill recently and before that, I was hit with the fear of upcoming exams for the end of the year. I will try my hardest to get them out as soon as possible but please do bare with me.
> 
> Thank you for all the comments! They truly do keep me going, they just give this pushe and inspire me!
> 
> Edit: I have corrected some mistakes that were here

The raven sat at his desk, hands on his Capri sun that he found himself consuming as his eyes trailed to the door, waiting for a certain brunette to show up. It was Shiro who forced this upon him, more forcefully than Lance's friends. It wasn't like he wasn't going to apologise but he at least wanted time to prepare and Shiro didn't let him, his disappointed 'dad look' printed behind his eyes for him to forever be haunted by until he finally did the deed.   
  
He had come to class ten minutes earlier than usual, his supplies laid out in the seat he had chosen to take beside the blue one that Lance claimed so he could work on getting closer to the other but he was starting to feel the clutches of boredom claw at his skin. How did he do it? Lance was always here before him, with it without his best friend in tow but was always in the middle of something, whether it be last minute homework fo that day or some kind of sketches. Although he admired his dedication, Keith certainly didn't admire cutting his morning run in half just so he could surprise Lance with a present.   
  
Ah, a present. The present wasn't much, just a glazed doughnut and a warm caramel hot chocolate steaming beside it. Pidge (who had somehow got his number and to be frank, it frightened him) had sent him a text that morning at six to tell him what Lance loved as a treat in the mornings. Keith, being the one who had made Lance feel like nothing but dirt, wanted to switch around that description so he headed out to the nearest coffee shop down the street and brought the suggested treats before leaving them on his desk. It would be an understatement to at that Keith wasn't nervous. Pidge could have been lying but then again, her love for Lance was one he wouldn't question. The two were like siblings, she wouldn't allow make him sadden the Cuban boy anymore than he already had.   
  
The door was pushed open, revealing the one he had been waiting all morning for, his well maintained face glistening in the light of the room. It was memorising, enchanting the raven with a kiss that grey orbs found themselves unable to tear themselves away from. He blamed it on his lack sleep, his brain wrecking with ideas that restricted him from the loving arms of rest only to be pushed aside as soon as he read the text that morning.   
  
"Oh my goodness, Hunk! You didn't have to!" Lance's voice tore through his thoughts, eyes on the teenager, who was now holding the doughnut in his hand, taking a small bite with a delighted hum that made Keith's heart flutter at the though he made him that happy but then the words caught up with him and he found himself scowling. He wasn't the only one that was unpleased with Lance's exclamation, Hunk finding himself in a shot stare down with Keith before his gaze returned to his friend.   
  
"You know, I didn't get that for you. I've been with you all morning" Lance stopped chewing in realisation, swallowing the piece before taking a sip of the warm beverage. Seeing the expression, Hunk pressed on. "Maybe it was someone else who is already in here?"   
  
"Huh?" Lance looked around before his eyes landed on Keith. The other melted under his gaze, his cheeks reddening slightly and he took this as a sign to look away before he could comment on it. Such a reaction was a result of his growing nerves. He pushed people away, that's a habit he wanted to free himself from and he had taken the first step towards it, it wasn't surprising that he would feel so embarrassed and more cautious.   
  
"Ah Keith! Did you see who left this here?" The sound of skin slapping against skin caught their attention, two pairs of eyes looking over to see Hunk had facepalmed in response to Lance's question. Keith couldn't blame him, but then again, he couldn't blame Lance either for his accusation considering their history. Lance however, rose an eyebrow in confusion of such a response.   
  
"Lance, buddy, the person is still here"   
  
"But the only person other than you and me is- Oh" Keith felt his face produce heat again. He was facing away by now, eyes cast downward on his sketchbook, spinning his pencil in his hands to distract himself from those ocean blue orbs that were now on him. How else was he supposed to act? Turn around and act-   
  
"You like me or something, mullet?"   
  
-snarky? The raven looked up, his red face now a mere ghost of what it had been before as grey hues collided with Lance's blue ones. The pencil slipped from his fingers, falling into the sheets below that sounded so loud against the silence of the room.   
  
"Appears I wasted my time" Keith muttered under his breath, hand moving to pinch the bridge of his nose to soothe his growing frustration for a few moments before finally responding. "It was an apology, idiot. I was a dick so I wanted to apologise for saying the stuff I said" Keith's tone was soft but still had a rough edge to it, voice much like a soothe piece of wood you'd run your finger against only to find it had left a splinter. It was to show he was sincere but still strong, not letting down his walls and not prepared for more, almost as though the token of kindness would backfire and he would face the consequences. Sadly, it still showed his nature of being alone, the tone creating an image of someone recreating the bricks that fell from the walls he had tried to break down.   
  
"Oh. That's unlike you" Keith sent him a glare. "Hey, but it's still nice! I never said it wasn't!" Lance defensively resorted, crossing his arms over his chest and bent forward, face getting closer to the ebony as he observed his face, eyes darting all over his face inna fashion that Keith's eyebrow rose in question at the intense gaze the other was forcing himself in.   
  
"What are you doing?"   
  
"Checking if you look any different. Just wondering if some kind of alien kidnapped the real you and replaced you with some kind of fake. Like a clone or something" A grin spread across his Lance's face, a grin that reached his eyes and the skin near this eyes wrinkled with delight to show the extent of the smile. He finally pulled away, observing the rest of him before clicking his fingers. "Definitely the real deal. I could recognise the mullet anywhere"   
  
"It's not a mullet-"   
  
"Hmmm, keep telling yourself that" Lance smugly turned away, using a hand to propel himself over the desk in some form of parkour before falling gracefully into his seat. He grabbed the cup once more, sipping the sweet drink with a content smile before leaning forward, dropping his bag on the floor beside his desk. After finishing his sip, the cup was placed with care on the table and Lance ducked down, hands rummaging through his bag and soon emerged with the blue covered sketchbook. With the book finally opened, Lance was prepared and started to decorate a page with doodles of many figurative poses to be prepared for the lesson.   
  
It took a while but finally class started, all pages blank as the model stripped themselves from the velvet robe that hugged her frame, the cloth leaving her form and resting upon the arm of a nearby chair. The model walked towards the centre of the 'stage' where the chair she would be sitting in proudly presented itself, plopping herself upon it. The brunette placed her arms around her, hugging herself with her chest covered by her arms, legs held together as tightly yet comfortable as possible. The pose made the woman look small, like she was trying to get protection and was hiding away. Whatever impression she gave, it inspired the many minds of the room as they drew her detail by detail.   
  
Lance had decided to use ink and watercolour, after drawing out in pencil of course. His slender fingers held the ink pen with such care, tracing over the pencil lines with black ink that drowned out the delicate and precise lines he had created. He was definitely proud of what he had done, enjoying the way the ink sat on the paper and perfectly captured every curve on the woman. The watercolour was his favourite part. It was where he could go wild, using a colour to symbolise or just go crazy with whatever colour he wished to use.   
  
He peered over to glance at Hunk's piece, seeing that the big guy has used charcoal with an eraser to rub out the medium and create the image. It was a technique Lance himself hated to use, it was too messy and he didn't enjoy the method as a whole but Hunk managed flawlessly. The piece never looked horrendous when it was touched by Hunk's touch, always bending against his eraser and doing as he had envisioned.   
  
Keith's was also looking amazing. He had used newspaper, tearing it up messily to fill the form of the female, paying attention to where the darker shades would have been and using the black and white hues accordingly. Another method he himself hasn't a fan of but under Keith's pale fingers, it looked so beautiful and perfectly placed despite the uncaring caring of newspaper articles.   
  
Lance finally returned his attention to his work, the ink not as runny as before and that fact brought a grin to Lance's face. Finally, watercolour time. Popping open the small rectangular case, many colours hit his eyes, begging for the wet brush to dampen them so they could bleed into the world with their colour. Dipping the bristles of the brush into the small plastic cup filled mid-way with water, Lance brought the brush to the blue, stroking it until it glistened and his painted his brush in the process. The tip was brought to his paper, already dampened with water and began to break loose, decorating the form with hues of blue and purple, even some black to create a galaxy inside of the woman.   
  
The small alarm beside Shiro went off five minutes into the time Lance spent watching the paint dry with a look of content. Had half an hour really passed? The model rose from her space, preparing for another pose as the students prepared.

* * *

 

"I'm telling you, Hunk. I would have used this as my project if I could" Lance mumbled, ignoring the world around them as the other pupils packed their equipment and retreated from the classroom. "It would have been so cool! I could have added a deep and meaningful quote or something on it"  
  
"Sucks man. Guess you and Keith have to talk shout your project. You still haven't gotten an idea and it's been a week" Hunk hinted, looking at his best friend out if the corner of his eye. Having heard his name, Keith's head rose, looking to Hunk, who in return sent him a sweet wave.   
  
"It's difficult because we have different interests. I want to link it to music, he wants to link it Hippos-"   
  
"I do not-"   
  
"-And it's hard!" Lance finished, not caring for Keith's outburst as he released a loud huff and leaned his head onto Hunk's shoulder in defeat. The only comfort he got was a small pat on his head from Hunk, who was busy testing Shay about a meet up after school. "It's no fair! Shiro wanted us to fail"   
  
"He didn't. You two are just too stubborn to come up with an idea" Hunk consoled, still focusing on his phone as he looked at a new gourmet recipe he wanted to try out. "Brainstorm and think about something. Me and Lotor and huuuuge opposites yet we managed" He encouraged further, finally locking his phone and tucking it into his pocket.   
  
"And how do we do that?" Lance's head lifted from his shoulder, looking at him for more answers as desperation consumed his gaze, his bottom lip out in the form of a pout. It was obvious at this point that Lance was growing worried of failure, that he and Keith really can't work together and that their attempts would all be for naught. He knew he was great, hell, he was a McClain but Keith was also struggling and he was at the top of the class. It should have been expected that he'd feel this doubtful.   
  
"You're going to have to spend more time together. We have until next week to report on what we're doing as a project so they can record it. Use that to bond a little" Hunk suggested, smiling at the look of disbelief on their faces. "Lotor and I only got an idea for our project when we were playing rainbow road on Mario. Now we're doing a large scale space station" He rose from his seat rather suddenly after that, remembering that he had agreed to meet Shay after class and quickly bid his reply (not after squeezing the two into a hug) and left the two alone to wallow in sorrow.   
  
"Well. This will suck for sure" Keith groaned, fingers to his nose to calm himself from his growning annoyance. Spending time with Lance? Yeah, they wouldn't last ten minutes without bickering and one storming away. It wasn't going to work. 

"Maybe" Lance mumbled, closing his sketchbook and carefully tucking it into his galaxy backpack, his pencil case and watercolours following tow. "So Keith, when are you free next?"


End file.
